French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients
French bread loaf (1 or 2)
1 roast
1/2 purple onion, sliced
provolone cheese, sliced (can work with swiss too)
mayo
season salt
Italian seasoning
paprika
au jus season packet

1. Place the roast in the crock pot. Add 2 cups of water and the au jus season packet. Cook on low for 8 hours.
2. Cut the french bread loaf in half lengthwise to open for sandwiches.
3. Mix together the mayo, season salt, Italian seasoning, and paprika to taste. Spread on both sides of the bread.
4. On one side of the bread, place the roast beef (in slices or shreds), cheese, slices of onion. Put both sides of bread on cookie sheet, face up.
5. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and a little brown.
6. Cut into sandwich size. Ladel the juice from the crock pot to bowls to place on the table.
7. Enjoy!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I'm posting this recipe on the other two *other recipe blogs that I contribute to--not only because I don't have three new recipes to contribute this month, but also because my hubby thought this was SO GOOD (so did I) that I figured I'd share it with everyone.

I made this recipe up for the sole reason that I have never found a good, healthy tuna noodle recipe that wasn't full of butter, sour cream, and cheese. So, I threw together my own ideas and it was a success. Let me know what YOU and YOUR family thinks!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Boil Egg noodles so that you'll have about 3-4 cups of cooked noodles

Meanwhile, in a large skillet sautee (in about 1-2 tsp olive oil):
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
8 oz (or 10 medium) mushrooms (chopped)
About 1/2-3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 tsp minced garlic

Once onions are translucent add:
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp ground mustard powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 to 2 tsp onion salt
1 to 2 tsp garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp pepper

Stir together until its creamy then stir in:
3 cans of tuna (6 oz cans) after draining liquids

When noodles are nearly all the way done boiling, drain the water and stir them in with the creamy tuna mixture in the skilllet. Once thoroughly mixed together pour contents of skillet into a 9 x 13 baking dish

Sprinkle top of noodles with about 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Place in oven for about 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and top noodles are crisp

Serve hot! Enjoy!

*Pleasant and Plump
*Delicious Dishes

Italian Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing (we love Newman's Own Italian Dressing)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or mix basil, oregano, crushed red pepper and garlic powder)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 potatoes, peeled and cut in wedges
baby carrots (as many as you like)
1 onion, cut in chunks

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle with half of the Italian dressing, spices, and the grated cheese. Put the potatoes, onions and baby carrots on top and around the chicken. Sprinkle with the rest of the dressing, spices and cheese. Cook on Low for about 6-8 hours, or until the chicken and potatoes are tender. We love the dressing so much that sometimes we pour extra on as we eat.

This is an easy meal to prepare and always a hit with my kids and guests. That makes it a winner in my book! Hope you're hungry!

Chicken Tortellini Toss

This is a super quick dish that I make and my family loves.I got it from Better Homes and Gardens and have adapted it for my family's tastes. Feel free to do the same! I find that Emily likes the tortellini, I like the broccoli and Scott likes the aspect of "chunks".

*1 bag cheese tortellini
* 1-2 large chicken breast
* 1/2- 3/4 jar of Classico roasted tomato pesto sauce
* Fresh broccoli (give or take 2 cups. I like more, so I add more!)
* 1 can diced tomatoes
* Fresh grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

- Cook chicken, cut, and set aside. (I've pan seared it, and sliced it, chunked it, or boiled it and chopped it. Do it however you like.) Meanwhile, boil tortellini according directions on package. Add the broccoli to the water at the last three minutes or so. Drain water. Add the can of diced tomatoes and pesto to the tortellini and broccoli. Then add the chicken. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top. (Feel free to add any other Italian seasonings you might like. I think that the pesto sauce is pretty flavorful, so I like to just add more pesto.)

As you can tell, this recipe is easily adaptable. Other substitutions can include doing half broccoli with half califlower.

Happy Eatting!

Red Beans and Rice

So I attempted to recreate the tasty red beans and rice dish that my sister in-law Aimee made at our family reunion a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, my local grocery store doesn't carry the Blue Runner brand of red beans. So I was already fighting against the odds. I didn't give up, and I think that I found success! The only thing is that I did a lot of seasoning to taste . . . so I'm not sure how much spice I put in . . . but, here is the recipe I concocted:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 Diced Onion
1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
1 Diced Bell Pepper (small to medium size)
2 tsp minced garlic
1⁄4 Stick of Butter

2 Cans of Red beans (I used two cans that advertised that they were Louisiana style and they tasted like plain old red beans to me . . . . hmmmmmm)
1# Sliced Smoked Sausage or Andouille
1 c water
4 large dashes of red pepper (I could have gone for five . . . maybe next time! Or throw in a diced jalapeno!)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp taco seasoning
1 tsp chicken bouillion powder

garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper (season to taste)

Directions:
Sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and butter in bottom of pot until vegetables are soft.
Add the two cans of Red Beans, water, pepper or jalapeno, cumin, taco seasoning, bouillion and sausage to the pot and stir with a reduced heat. (Do not over heat as beans will scorch and burn on bottom). Use a potato masher to make the sauce more creamy. Mash up some beans, but not all of them. Maybe 1/2. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves 5-6 complete dinners.